I for one can't wait for this, too bad winter will almost be over by the time it comes out. Especially when it's -20c it would be nice to just turn on the scope come back in 3 minutes set it to a target and begin imaging. Also many times I've thought I was looking at one star when infact it was another and had to restart alignment all over again.

My question is if the brains are in the new controller could one use a usb camera with a longer FL lense? I guess the initial polar alignment would have to be closer with a more narrow FOV but perhaps a guidescope could be used or a modified finderscope.

"StarSense replaces expensive software used for Advanced Mount Modeling, providing superior pointing accuracy from horizon to horizon. Users can add as many calibration stars as desired to give their telescope mount a new level of accuracy."

So - that is more than 6 stars and must be different, and there is a different handcontroller.

They don't say what it does regarding polar alignment - at least I didn't see anything.

From the bits i've read and pics i've seen from the Celestron website and bits i've gleaned from facebook etc, it seems the HC that comes with it is an HC+ handset which has the auto align functions plus all the other usual bits including ASPA. I shall try to find again and put some links upEdit heres oneCelestron Starsense

If you look at the HC pic its the same as the HC+ except it has Starsense printed on it

Very interested in this technology...will make setup much quicker...no more 2 +4 star alignments.

Wonder what the procedure will be after letting this thing do its thing and then doing a ASPA and manually adjusting the mount....guess just let it align itself again to take into account the mount being moved in alt/az...?

Very interested in this technology...will make setup much quicker...no more 2 +4 star alignments.

Wonder what the procedure will be after letting this thing do its thing and then doing a ASPA and manually adjusting the mount....guess just let it align itself again to take into account the mount being moved in alt/az...?

It'll probably take a little longer, but at least you can be unloading the car or something while it does the 2 + 4 unattended.

Shouldn't be necessary to realign; the mount knows what you've done. I never needed to realign my CGE after ASPA.

From what I've seen looking at a SkyProdigy HC the display is different, it seems to have a four line display, the lowest line has help information.

There's a SP manual on the Celestron site, I doubt the StarSense manual will be put there until after it's released.

We can only speculate about what the SS will do, especially with an equatorial mount, because so far the SP has been alt az only. There's all sorts of possibilities - polar align helper where the scope tells you how far to move each axis - multiple align stars - auto precise goto where the scope moves, has a look to see how it's doing and then does a final update. Possibly guiding although that may be more challenging.

I guess that the first version will not have everything but that additional features will be added later.

i have always dreamed of something like this wellit seems astronomy will never be the same againanyone and i mean anyone even first timers can buya very large mount like Cge pro and C-11 Edge HDand start no problems first time.

anyone and i mean anyone even first timers can buy
a very large mount like Cge pro and C-11 Edge HD
and start no problems first time.

Probably not. Alignments have grown ever more automatic for alt/az mounts and this one goes a long way (appears to be a more effective implementation than Meade's LS series). An EQ mount does require a reasonable accurate initial polar alignment, though, before any star alignment can be effective. Automating that would be a far more complicated (and expensive) project.

Chris, and JRCrilly - I don't quite get it. I can see how Starsense will help out for an AltAz'muth mount - but for a GEM? Are we assuming you don't bother with an initial polar alignment, and just let Starsense do its thing first (with poor polar alignment) - and then how does the mount maintain tracking thereafter? Without reasonable polar alignment, both the RA and Dec need constant driving to maintain tracking...? Or maybe as other said above, ASPA is still required thereafter...? Fox

From what I've seen looking at a SkyProdigy HC the display is different, it seems to have a four line display, the lowest line has help information.

There's a SP manual on the Celestron site, I doubt the StarSense manual will be put there until after it's released.

We can only speculate about what the SS will do, especially with an equatorial mount, because so far the SP has been alt az only. There's all sorts of possibilities - polar align helper where the scope tells you how far to move each axis - multiple align stars - auto precise goto where the scope moves, has a look to see how it's doing and then does a final update. Possibly guiding although that may be more challenging.

I guess that the first version will not have everything but that additional features will be added later.

Chris, and JRCrilly - I don't quite get it. I can see how Starsense will help out for an AltAz'muth mount - but for a GEM? Are we assuming you don't bother with an initial polar alignment, and just let Starsense do its thing first (with poor polar alignment) - and then how does the mount maintain tracking thereafter? Without reasonable polar alignment, both the RA and Dec need constant driving to maintain tracking...? Or maybe as other said above, ASPA is still required thereafter...? Fox

From what I've seen looking at a SkyProdigy HC the display is different, it seems to have a four line display, the lowest line has help information.

There's a SP manual on the Celestron site, I doubt the StarSense manual will be put there until after it's released.

We can only speculate about what the SS will do, especially with an equatorial mount, because so far the SP has been alt az only. There's all sorts of possibilities - polar align helper where the scope tells you how far to move each axis - multiple align stars - auto precise goto where the scope moves, has a look to see how it's doing and then does a final update. Possibly guiding although that may be more challenging.

I guess that the first version will not have everything but that additional features will be added later.

Chris, and JRCrilly - I don't quite get it. I can see how Starsense will help out for an AltAz'muth mount - but for a GEM? Are we assuming you don't bother with an initial polar alignment, and just let Starsense do its thing first (with poor polar alignment) - and then how does the mount maintain tracking thereafter? Without reasonable polar alignment, both the RA and Dec need constant driving to maintain tracking...? Or maybe as other said above, ASPA is still required thereafter...? Fox

Yes, it can automate the star alignment, but as I mention above the polar alignment will remain a manual process.